The funny thing is, no matter how skilled or professional a speaker is or becomes, they can still fail to get their message across. I remember one time hearing a very well known and respected inspirational speaker and leaving the talk wondering why people loved him so much. His presentation was stale and lacked passion … which was pretty much what is speech was about.

That said, you can be a mediocre speaker and still be very effective if you avoid these 5 pitfalls that even the pros sometime fall into.

Talking to Your Peers
Some speakers forget that the audience is not filled with their peers, people who know the topic on a deep level. Most of the time, your audience is going to be brand spanking new to your topic — or at least your take on it. To avoid this pitfall, get to know your audience’s level of knowledge on the topic before you give the speech so that you can tailor it to their level of understanding. This way, you’ll not only be able to hook them into the topic more effectively, but communicate your message using words, stories and imagery that they will respond to.(more…)

Any unauthorized use of Carma Spence’s and and DragonWyze International's trademarks and service marks is strictly prohibited. The following marks are registered and unregistered trademarks and service marks of Carma Spence and DragonWyze International: Public Speaking Super PowersTM, Public Speaking SuperpowersTM, Public Speaking Super HeroTM, Public Speaking SuperheroTM, Public Speaking Super VillainTM, Public Speaking SupervillainTM, Mind GoblinTM.